Events

Knoxville artist Derek Aulden White will display metalwork and photography, like this piece entitled “Stars Amongst Us,” from his Bird on the Wire Studio during an exhibit at Pellissippi State Community College.

Pellissippi State Community College will host Knoxville artist Derek Aulden White for a visual arts exhibit, Oct. 27-Nov.11. A reception to meet the artist will be held from 3-5 p.m. Oct. 27.

The exhibit is free and open to the public and will be held in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Derek White, who creates at his Bird On the Wire studio in Knoxville, will exhibit his photography and metalwork. White moved to Knoxville from Alabama in 2012, after having worked in fields as varied as graphic arts, commercial retail design and custom aquatic gardens. One of his sculptures, “Still as Steel,” is on permanent display at the entrance to Ijams Nature Center. At his studio, he creates not only photography and metalwork, but soaps, faux bois and other creative products.

The Derek White exhibit is one of the events that make up Pellissippi State’s arts series, The Arts at Pellissippi State. The series brings to the community cultural activities ranging from music and theatre to international celebrations, lectures and the fine arts.

For more information about The Arts at Pellissippi State, visit www.pstcc.edu/arts or call 865-694-6400.

Pellissippi State Community College will host a free open house for anyone interested in attending college from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 18. The open house will be held in the Goins Administration Building at the Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak to faculty, staff and students from all of Pellissippi State’s academic programs and listen to presentations on financial aid and career versus transfer pathways. High school seniors who attend will be placed in a drawing for two $250 scholarships awarded by the Pellissippi State Foundation. Although the event is free, attendees are encouraged to RSVP at www.pstcc.edu/prsvp. To request accommodations for a disability at this event, contact the executive director of Equity and Compliance at 865-539-7401 or accommodations@pstcc.edu.

Pellissippi State Community College will present “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” a satirical emo rock musical and dramatized retelling of the controversial presidency of Andrew Jackson, in late October and early November.

Performance dates and times are 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28-29 and Nov. 4-5, and 2 p.m., Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. All performances are in the Clayton Performing Arts Center at the college’s Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Tickets are $14 for adults or $12 for seniors or students. Purchase tickets at www.pstcc.edu/tickets.

“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” written by Michael Friedman, discusses the role of populism in the actions of America’s seventh president and draws parallels to today’s political climate. The play is for mature audiences and is not suitable for children.

“Populism is a huge theme in the play,” said director Grechen Wingerter. “It’s this idea of ‘taking your country back’ and what the people want. When he was elected, Andrew Jackson wasn’t one of the elite — he didn’t come from the right family or go to an Ivy League school. He marketed himself as a president of the people.”

Wingerter noted that there are clear parallels to this year’s election cycle — from the themes of populism and its political consequences to elections that feature the establishment versus the outsider. The play broaches topics like the 1830 Indian Removal Act and Jackson’s debated marriage to his wife, Rachel.

“The play is controversial because Andrew Jackson was, and is, controversial,” Wingerter said. “We still see the implications of what he did, particularly to Native Americans. This production might evoke a strong emotion, and that’s OK, even if it’s anger. That’s the purpose of theatre and of art — there is truth behind the satire that will allow the audience to think critically and make their own choices.”

The performance on Sunday, Oct. 30, will be followed by a panel discussion on the play’s themes. The panel will feature Wingerter; University of Tennessee professor Daniel M. Feller, caretaker of the Jackson papers, and a representative of the Cherokee Nation.

The performance will feature guest musical director Michael Shirtz, a jazz musician and composer and faculty member at Terra State Community College in Ohio.

“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” is one of the events that make up Pellissippi State’s arts series, The Arts at Pellissippi State. The series brings to the community cultural activities ranging from music and theatre to international celebrations, lectures and the fine arts.

For more information about this production, visit www.pstcc.edu/arts or call the box office at 865-539-7529. To request accommodations for a disability at this event, contact the executive director of Equity and Compliance at 865-539-7401 or accommodations@pstcc.edu.

Knoxville’s high-school age writers are invited to the third annual Young Creative Writers Workshop at Pellissippi State Community College, Saturday, Oct. 8.

The workshop is a free, day-long event open to any local high school students who have an interest in creative writing. Individual sessions will include poetry writing, fiction writing, screenplay writing and songwriting. The workshop will be held at Pellissippi State’s Strawberry Plains Campus, 7201 Strawberry Plains Pike. Lunch will be provided.

Students will have the opportunity not only to learn writing skills, but be able to tour the Strawberry Plains Campus and interact with professors, administrators and other students. At the end of the workshop, students will be able to perform or recite their original works; parents and teachers are invited to attend the showcase.

Instructors at the event will include two of Pellissippi State’s own faculty members plus Kali Meister, playwright and theatre instructor, and Nashville songwriter and composer Chris Robbins.

“This year’s Young Creative Writers Workshop will be our best yet,” said Patricia Ireland, Pellissippi State English instructor and planner of the event. “We’re aiming higher than ever in the quality of the workshops and the value of the whole experience for local high-school age writers.”

The Young Creative Writers Workshop is funded through an Arts Builds Communities grant from the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, which is matched by funds from the Pellissippi State Foundation. The Foundation works to provide student scholarships and emergency loans as well as to improve facilities and secure new equipment. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.pstcc.edu/foundation or call 865-694-6528.

For more information about Pellissippi State, visit www.pstcc.edu or call 865-694-6400. To request accommodations for a disability at this event, contact the executive director of Equity and Compliance at 865-539-7401 or accommodations@pstcc.edu.

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Pellissippi State Community College is a member of Tennessee’s Community Colleges. Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. For more information, please visit us online at www.tncommunitycolleges.org.